Garff residents and commissioners lodge sewage works site objections

A plan to build a treatment works in Laxey harbour was rejected by planners in 2020

Garff commissioners and some residents have lodged objections over the proposed site for a new sewage plant.

The local authority held an emergency meeting to discuss the plans by Manx Utilities (MU) to build a facility at the Axnfell plantation.

MU said it had considered more than 50 sites in the area for the project.

Commissioner Stewart Clague said the local authority had been "defeatist" and not done enough to challenge the decision.

The facility is part of a £40m government scheme to deal with the island's waste, which is currently pumped out to sea off the Laxey coast.

Manx Utilities would take over ownership of the plantation

In a statement sent to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the commissioners said they "felt that other locations within the plantation would be more appropriate".

They also raised concerns over the proximity of the new site to people's homes at Upper Rencell, as well as the "consequences for wildlife".

In the statement, it noted that waste should be pumped away to Meary Veg as the "best solution", an idea that the authority had "pressed for several years".

Some members suggested writing to Tynwald members seeking an independent consultation, while others agreed to write to the Auditor General "in regard to these matters".

MU previously said it had considered various factors in its decision, including the proximity to residential areas, highway access and environmental and ecological issues.